Private hosts, companies and associations may directly contact the aliens police authority responsible for their main residence or company/association headquarters through a body authorised to represent the company or association or a duly authorised person and submit an electronic statement of commitment free of charge there. The information on the financial standing of the host must be evidenced to the aliens policy authority.
Private hosts must present the following documents:
ID, residency registration certificate, proof of earnings/income, lease or similar, evidence of support payments for dependents, if any, loans or similar, and documents that evidence the relation to the visa applicant.
Business hosts must present the following documents:
ID of the company’s authorised representative, extract from the companies register/trade licence, proof of the company’s credit standing (submission of e.g. financial statements, income/expenditure statement, credit rating information from the Austrian official credit bureau, possibly a power of attorney (executed on official letterhead with a corporate stamp and signature(s) of the bodies authorised to represent the company).
For invitations by an association, the following documents must be presented:
ID of the representative, extract from the register of associations, charter, proof of the association’s activity and credit standing (submission of e.g. balance sheet, confirmation from a tax advisor), possibly a power of attorney (with the signature(s) of the bodies authorised to represent the association).
It is most expedient to provide the applicant’s passport number.
After having submitted an electronic statement of commitment, the host will receive an ID number for conveyance to the applicant. The applicant may file the application not earlier than 48 hours after the electronic statement of commitment has been submitted with the competent Austrian representation abroad indicating his or her ID number under which the authority can retrieve the corresponding statement of commitment.
If the visa is applied for with a Schengen embassy/consulate representing Austria, it is recommended to seek prior information with the embassy (website), whether the statement of commitment must be made electronically (indicating the competent Austrian representation which will then forward the statement), or whether the statement of commitment must be issued on paper with an authenticated signature.
